This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/23/indian-consulate-attacked-in-afghanistan

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Indian consulate attacked in Afghanistan Indian consulate attacked in Afghanistan
(3 months later)
Gunmen armed with machine guns and Gunmen armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades attacked the Indian Consulate in western Afghanistan's Herat province on Friday in an assault that injured no diplomatic staff, police said.
rocket-propelled grenades attacked the Indian Consulate in western Indian diplomats said there had been a threat against its diplomats in Afghanistan but gave no other details.
Afghanistan's Herat province on Friday in an assault that injured no Two gunmen were killed by police after a group opened fire on the consulate from a nearby home, provincial police chief Abdul Sami Qatra said.
diplomatic staff, police said. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Afghanistan is experiencing a rise in insurgent attacks as foreign troops plan to withdraw from the country by the end of the year.
Indian diplomats said there had been a Syed Akbaruddin, a spokesman for India's ministry of external affairs, said a deployment of their own police at the consulate held off the assault until Afghan forces arrived. He said all Indians at the consulate were safe.
threat against its diplomats in Afghanistan but gave no other details. "Our consulate and our diplomatic presence in Afghanistan have been under threat," Akbaruddin told TimesNow TV without elaborating.
Two gunmen were killed by police after a group opened fire on the consulate from a nearby home, Herat lies near Afghanistan's border with Iran and is considered one of the safer cities in the country, with a strong Iranian influence. In September 2013 Taliban gunmen launched a similar assault on the US consulate in the city, killing at least four Afghans but failing to enter the compound or hurt any Americans.
provincial police chief Abdul Sami Qatra said. Foreign embassies and consulates remain a favourite target of insurgents in Afghanistan but many are protected by high walls and multiple gates, as well as security forces.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Afghanistan India has invested more than US$2bn in Afghan projects including roads and power infrastructure. In August 2013 a botched bombing against the Indian consulate in the Afghan city of Jalalabad near the border with Pakistan killed nine people, including six children. No Indian officials were hurt. Two attacks on the Indian Embassy in Kabul in 2008 and 2009 killed 75 people.
is experiencing a rise in insurgent attacks as foreign troops plan to Groups known for targeting Indian interests include Lashkar-e-Taiba, which was blamed for the 2008 attack on the Indian city of Mumbai that killed 166 people, and the Haqqani network, which is based in Pakistan's tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan.
withdraw from the country by the end of the year. Lashkar-e-Taiba has been active in Afghanistan in recent years, often teaming up with insurgent groups operating in the eastern part of the country near the frontier with Pakistan. In 2010 two Kabul guest houses popular among Indians were attacked, killing more than six Indians. India blamed that attack on the group.
Syed Akbaruddin, a spokesman for India's ministry of external affairs,
said a deployment of their own police at the consulate held off the
assault until Afghan forces arrived. He said all Indians at the
consulate were safe.
"Our consulate and our diplomatic presence in Afghanistan have been
under threat," Akbaruddin told TimesNow TV without elaborating.
Herat lies near Afghanistan's border with Iran and is considered one of
the safer cities in the country, with a strong Iranian influence. In
September 2013 Taliban gunmen launched a similar assault on the US consulate in the city, killing at least four Afghans but failing to
enter the compound or hurt any Americans.
Foreign embassies and consulates remain a favourite target of insurgents
in Afghanistan but many are protected by high walls and multiple gates,
as well as security forces.
India has invested more than US$2bn in Afghan projects including
roads and power infrastructure. In August 2013 a botched bombing against the
Indian consulate in the Afghan city of Jalalabad near the border with
Pakistan killed nine people, including six children. No Indian officials
were hurt. Two attacks on the Indian Embassy in Kabul in 2008 and 2009 killed 75 people.
Groups known for targeting Indian interests include Lashkar-e-Taiba,
which was blamed for the 2008 attack on the Indian city of Mumbai that
killed 166 people, and the Haqqani network, which is based in Pakistan's tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan.
Lashkar-e-Taiba has been active in Afghanistan in recent years, often
teaming up with insurgent groups operating in the eastern part of the
country near the frontier with Pakistan. In 2010 two Kabul guest houses
popular among Indians were attacked, killing more than six Indians.
India blamed that attack on the group.